The Cleveland Cavaliers were missing some key players and that played a factor in the final result against the Toronto Raptors.
It was an all hands on deck night for the Cleveland Cavaliers as several players were not available for them Monday night. Collin Sexton, Dylan Windler, Taurean Prince, Isaiah Hartenstein, Larry Nance Jr., Matthew Dellavedova and Lamar Stevens were all out against the Toronto Raptors and that contributed to what was a 112-96 loss.
As a result of the Cavaliers missing so many players, Isaac Okoro was Cleveland’s leading scorer with 20. Jarrett Allen was the second-highest scorer with 15 points in 31 minutes. The fact of the matter is that it is not a good sign if these are the Cavs leading scorers. More often than not it will end up as a loss and that is what happened Monday.
Then there was this moment from Kevin Love which came late in the 3rd quarter. The ref gave the ball the Love for him to inbound and he unenthusiastically tapped the ball in bounds. This resulted in a steal and an easy three-pointer for Toronto. The Cavaliers were actually only behind by six points prior to this and potentially in the game.
There is more to it than what appears on the surface. Love injured his knee and felt a foul should have been called, leading to his frustration and this lowlight of a play. Either way this is unacceptable from someone who is supposed to be the veteran leader of the team. The Cavaliers coaching staff needs to sit down and have a talk with Love about his role with the team. Love is supposed to be setting an example for the younger players on the team and acting out is never a good look.
With the loss the Cavaliers are not technically out of the play-in picture, but they might as well be. Cleveland is six games behind 10th place Washington and the season is all but over. The Cavaliers might as well pack it in and just finish off the tank job they started earlier this season.
